


Sketch

by futhorconde



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Ending to "Off the Deep End", Merman!AU, Pirate!AU, So Bear With me, and I don't know what to rate it, blood mention, but i tried, first ao3 post, my mind ran away with this, siren!au, siren!bill, that fic belongs to MarshOnTheMellow, this is MarshOnTheMellow's AU, this is really short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 13:39:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3852811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futhorconde/pseuds/futhorconde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The shadows of the ships<br/>Rock on the crest<br/>In the low blue lustre<br/>Of the tardy and soft inrolling tide."<br/>- Sketch, by Carl Sandburg</p><p> </p><p>AKA an alternate ending to MarshOnTheMallow's "Off the Deep End."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sketch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MarshOnTheMellow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarshOnTheMellow/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Off the Deep End](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3706983) by [MarshOnTheMellow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarshOnTheMellow/pseuds/MarshOnTheMellow). 



> Whelp, I finally got around to reading "Off the Deep End," and it was really good!! Go read that fic first before reading this short thing, please.  
> After I finished reading, I wondered what would've happened if the sirens really would've gone through with their plans in chapters 2 & 3\. This is what I imagined would've been the after effects.

The shadow of a ship sways on the edge where water meets sky. White sails reflect the sheen of water, salt and barnacles crawling up port and starboard. Swells cradle the empty ship, whispering hollow apologies. Lightened by the falling sun, burned by the red clouds, the low blue waves roll on. A gentle murmur rises from the sea, a soft farewell. The tide dances toward shore.

And, at the dip in the sky, as if strategically placed, a brown bar cuts the salt with sand.

Carefree, endless wrinkles draw in, lapse, withdraw, painting otherworldly designs in the clay. Wavelets crumple back to their home, and frothy bubbles wash onto the floor of the beach. There's a spark of burnt-out lightning in the air, a distant crackle of battle and fear and loss.

Straying from its family, a single wave rushes onto the beach, discarding a piece of worn cloth in the sand before hurrying off. Blue and white, much like the sea itself, the bandana flutters in the wind. A streak of dark red cuts the stitched pine tree in half, the smell of iron strong even now.

A sun-kissed hand deftly snatches the bandana off the beach, tying it around an equally tan wrist. Smiling down at the trophy, the siren clicks his tongue and pushes back into the ocean. His golden fin flicks the air, shooting droplets of sea water back to the sand. Other sirens swim in the direction of the setting sun, bragging about how they had killed their prey without a fight.

The golden siren listens to their boasts from a distance, content with the fabric on his wrist. He had worked for his, at least.  
Behind him, rocking on the darkening swells, the shadow of the ship fades away.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, and hopefully I'll have something longer up soon.  
> ~ Onde


End file.
